Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: annoyed

Vanishing Roads

One of the things that I think the government should oversee, and fund thoroughly, is large-scale physical infrastructure. Reason being, when it's done on a local scale, the result is a patchwork of good, bad, and nonexistent infrastructure. A country needs reliable, widespread roads in order to transport goods and people readily. (Think Roman Empire, whose road-building skills helped them unite most of Europe...some of which are still functional today.)

This article explains how the federal government is shirking that duty, trying to fob it off on individual drivers paying tolls to private companies. After collapsing bridges and levies have cost many lives and much property damage unnecessarily, I'm disgusted with the government's efforts to undercut still more infrastructure. We should get something for our taxes. Money spent developing and maintaining transport infrastructure is usually money well spent on something that will do widespread good and last a long time.
Tags: politics
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  • 3 comments
wyrmwwd

Privatization

wyrmwwd

March 17 2008, 16:56:11 UTC 13 years ago

Privatization was supposed to be good for us. Privatization means that there is a competitive bidding process for contracts, right?

Wrong. This administration has been the kings of "no bid contracts" which means, they just send them over to one of their buddies who can there over charge and do half the work.

Americans really need to start getting involved with their government again.
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Privatization

ysabetwordsmith

March 17 2008, 19:14:59 UTC 13 years ago

Yes, I hate the no-bid crony contracts, mainly because they result in unnecessarily high prices and low quality. I'd be less offended if they produced favorable results. Republicans giving out no-bid contracts is as duplicitous in business as their moralizing about sex and then raining scandal everywhere: they aren't being very careful about following their own rules.

The really aggravating thing is, the traffic congestion problem is real and demands resolution. "Congestion pricing" is useless because rush hour is created by masses of people going to work and going home at the same times; it's not an optional trip. Better solutions include improving public transit, providing infrastructure and incentives for people to bike or walk to work, incentives for carpooling, enabling more people to telecommute, and encouraging businesses to locate near a worker base to shorten commutes. Instead the government has chosen one of the least effective and most destructive courses possible. Go scream at your representatives.
wyrmwwd

Re: Privatization

wyrmwwd

March 17 2008, 19:28:45 UTC 13 years ago

I do scream at my representatives, often and loudly. And, I vote. And when I do, I use critical thinking as my guide, not that kind of warm-fuzzy feeling that some folks kind of like.

Thanks for posting about this. Hopefully our conversation will lead to people thinking.